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The LEGO Movie was a wonderful expression of the power of imagination and reinforced the idea of play and for adults to embrace their inner child once again. Not only did it embrace creativity with its wholesome story, but it also turned out to be one of the funniest animated movies of 2014. After two spin-offs, The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Emmet and Lucy are finally back with The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. It’s not as creative as the first film and has much of the same humor, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just not as imaginative and is a little too heavy-handed in its message rather than embracing its fun roots.

Master Builders Emmet (Chris Pratt) and Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) might have saved Bricksburg from total destruction at the hands Lord Business, but a new invasion by Duplo aliens has now turned to city into a post-apocalyptic wasteland named Apocalypseburg. These new invaders are attracted to everything cute so all the citizens have become more hardened and gritty, except for Emmet, who still likes to think that everything is awesome. But when the mysterious General Sweet Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) comes and kidnaps all of the city’s heroes, Emmett finds himself left behind, and it’s up to him to save the day...again.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part gets off to a great start with plenty of humor that is very reminiscent of the original. It’s one rapid fire joke after another, and for the most part they all land incredibly well so be prepared for non-stop laughter. It’s funny for both kids and adults alike and will often go meta for that extra laugh. The addition of Duplo blocks adds some character to the building blocks and opens the story up for some different humor, although that’s where things start to break apart.

Right from the start, The LEGO Movie 2 hammers home the idea of playing well with others. The entire film revolves around this message; in the human world a now older Finn struggles to play nicely with his younger sister Bianca. Unlike the first film, there’s nothing subtle about what it’s trying to do. Bianca is the “invader” to Finn’s world, and he’s doing everything he can to “save” the city. It’s all very blatant, and I feel that they put more emphasis on tying everything into the real world than just telling an entertaining story.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is still a good film, but it’s nowhere near as fun or creative as the first part. The humor is funny and the songs are catchy, but the film itself gets too caught up in its own message.

Hotel Artemis

Maria Jackson — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 14:45:32 +0000

Hotel Artemis

Review:

Theatrical

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Grade:

3.60

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Set in Los Angeles 2028, Hotel Artemis is the only place that offers honor and healthcare among thieves. Nurse Thomas (Jodie Foster) shuffles along the hallways, treating criminally inclined patients at a speed walking pace you’ve seen early mornings at your local mall. Everest (Dave Bautista), and you can guess why they call him that, is a serious healthcare professional. Adoring of Nurse Thomas and her rules of non-violence within these hallowed art deco halls, he goes the extra mile with an axe.

When expert assassin Nice (Sofia Boutella) intentionally checks herself in to complete a hit against the Wolf King of Los Angeles (Jeff Goldblum), the rules of Hotel Artemis quickly descend into chaos. All the while, the city outside rages with riots due to water privatization and the crowd is headed to the HQ, only three block away from the Artemis.

Truly fun with an intriguing futuristic aesthetic, Hotel Artemis is has a very talented cast that brings life to archetypes and reels you in. The strained, but loving sibling relationship Sterling K. Brown and Brian Tyree Henry give notes to reality to this highly stylized apocalyptic hellscape. Smoke, shadow neon light, and fire set illustrate the shiny tech next to the unavoidable decay that is a consequence of greed. Everything Suicide Squad could have been, but was not.

While there was definitely a need and expectation for more action and fight scenes, for the first time in a long time I wished the film were longer.

Hotel Artemis

Matt Rodriguez — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 12:53:32 +0000

Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, 'Hotel Artemis' follows the Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.

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Hotel Artemis

Release Date:

Friday, June 8, 2018

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Director(s):

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Running Time:

94 minutes

Hotel Artemis (Trailer #1)

Matt Rodriguez — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 14:57:22 +0000

In riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, The Nurse runs a secret, members-only hospital for criminals.

(Trailers Video)

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02:30

Pacific Rim Uprising

Matt Rodriguez — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 16:24:33 +0000

Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, reunites with Mako Mori to lead a new generation of Jaeger pilots, including rival Lambert and 15-year-old hacker Amara, against a new Kaiju threat.

Pacific Rim Uprising

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Pacific Rim Uprising,

In Theatres:

Mar 23, 2018

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Running Time:

111 minutes

Official Website

PG-13

Pacific Rim Uprising

Matt Rodriguez — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 16:22:52 +0000

Pacific Rim Uprising

Review:

Theatrical

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Grade:

1.50

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Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim was a love letter to kaiju monster films, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Sure, it wasn’t the most story-driven of films but its focus on the the Jaegers and their pilots made it compelling enough in between the giant mech on monster battles. Pacific Rim Uprising on the other hand lacks any of the spirit of its predecessor, delivering lifeless action sequences that have no urgency to them whatsoever. Rather than build upon the universe del Toro created, Uprising simply lets its crumble under its own weight.

10 years have passed since the events of the first film, and the world has been relatively calm with no new kaiju appearances. Still, the Pan-Pacific Defence Corps is keeping busy training new Jaeger pilots in case of any new attacks. Former Jaeger pilot Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) and son of hero Stacker Pentecost has been living a life of crime, stealing decommissioned Jaeger parts and selling them on the black market. After being arrested alongside rebellious teen mechanic Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), the two are forced to enlist with the PPDC, but before they can get settled into their positions a new Kaiju threat arises that threatens the fate of humanity once again.

Almost immediately you can tell that Uprising is a different beast from Pacific Rim as it flashes back to a scene from the first film but with a slightly different cut and music, making it more action oriented as opposed to the dread I felt watching it originally. That’s the main difference of Uprising; you never get the feeling that humanity is ever in any danger. The film follows the tired trope that the older generation is outdated and must pass along their knowledge to the younger generation in order for them to save the world, but with the exception of Amara, you don’t actually get to know them at all and therefore don’t care when they get to jump into a Jaeger.

The Jaegers themselves are nothing to write home about either. There’s no weight to them as that battle kaiju and even other hacked Jaegers. What should be cool action set pieces instead look like something out of Transformers or Power Rangers, not Godzilla. Just before the big final showdown, we see a bunch of people run into these giant elevators that go to underground bunkers and are hilariously informed that the entire city has been successfully evacuated, essentially giving permission for the Jaegers to completely disregard the city’s infrastructure because hey, there are no people around so who cares about any collateral damage. The stakes couldn’t feel any lower.

Frankly the only character the film actually does a good job at making you care about is Jake Pentecost, and that’s because John Boyega has an amazing amount of charisma that makes him likeable in nearly every situation, even if he can be a little dickish at times. Ever since his debut in Attack the Block, Boyega has proved time and time again that he has the it-factor to lead a film, and it’s most apparent in Pacific Rim Uprising. As generic as most of the film is, Boyega still excels.

Pacific Rim Uprising struggles to deliver the same action-packed mayhem of the first film. It’s a lackluster sequel that can’t be saved by its charismatic lead, despite John Boyega’s best efforts. I was excited for a sequel after watching the original Pacific Rim, but unless Guillermo del Toro is driving the film I have no interest in a third. This is one apocalypse I welcome with open arms.

Pacific Rim Uprising (Trailer #2)

Matt Rodriguez — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 16:26:29 +0000

(Trailers Video)

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02:35

Fist Fight

Matt Rodriguez — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:48:08 +0000

After high school teacher Andy Campbell accidentally gets his colleague Ron Strickland fired, Strickland challenges him to an after school fight.

Fist Fight

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In Theatres:

Feb 17, 2017

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Running Time:

91 minutes

Official Website

Fist Fight

Matt Rodriguez — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:46:15 +0000

Fist Fight

Review:

Theatrical

Exclusive?:

Grade:

1.90

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Fist Fight is a bare knuckle comedy with a heavy emphasis on bare. While it features two boisterous performances from both Ice Cube and Charlie Day it still manages to feel empty for a lot of the scenes. It’s a film that quickly goes down in the first round and then never fully recovers despite its best attempts to stay on its feet.

Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) teaches English to high school students and while he’s good at his job, he tends to get walked on by the students and his fellow teachers. Then there is Ron Strickland (Ice Cube) who is feared by everyone. It’s the last day of school before summer vacation and the student body has descended into chaos as they pull one senior prank after another. After witnessing a student pranking Mr. Strickland, who decides to take matters into his own hands by taking a fireman’s axe to the student’s desk, Mr. Campbell rats out Mr. Strickland to the principle and ends up getting him fired. Angered that he didn’t stick up for his fellow teacher, Mr. Strickland challenges Mr. Campbell to a fist fight after school. With the clock ticking, Mr. Campbell does his best to weasel his way out of getting his face beaten to a bloody pulp.

Even with a great comedic cast including Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, and Jillian Bell, Fist Fight is your standard run of the mill comedy that doesn’t even feel like it’s trying. Nothing about the film stands out as it goes through the motions using the same jokes. Ice Cube is angry. Charlie Day is a whimp. Jillian Bell does drugs and wants to sleep with her students. There’s nothing new or inventive about the film, and the humor isn’t funny enough to last 20 minutes let alone the entire 90.

It’s not that they’re terrible, either. I love Charlie Day and his outrageous over-the-top performance. His comedic timing is on point, and he’s the best when he’s channeling his inner Charlie Kelly. He’s not enough for the entire film, though. Ice Cube has some entertaining moments as well. The two balance each other out nicely. As I said earlier, the schtick quickly wears thin. There’s only so many times you can get a laugh out of Charlie Day being afraid of Ice Cube. And when that runs out the film has nowhere else to go.

Fist Fight is like sitting in class watching the clock as the seconds tick by until the bell rings and school lets out. It’s not the worse thing in the world, but your time could definitely be better spent.